The emphasis on mechanical harvesting of tree-borne fruit has stimulated extensive investigation of chemicals which facilitate harvesting of such fruit by reducing the force of attachment between the fruit and the stem. To be efficacious, such chemicals, known as abscission agents, much reduce the force required to remove the fruit from the stem, aid in separating the complete stem from the fruit leaving a clean unbroken plug, cause a minimum of burning and pitting of the tree's fruit, delay rotting of the fruit after it is either picked or falls to the ground, have no deleterious effect on green fruit and have no appreciable detrimental effect on the leaves of treated plants. The ideal abscission agent is simple, inexpensive, amenable to simple application, e.g. by spraying, and compatible with aqueous and/or oily spray compositions. In addition to those requirements for efficacy, an abscission agent must be non-toxic to humans and/or animals when eaten and must meet government safety standards as a food additive or "residue".